


Hush, Little Birdie

by BasilHellward



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I ...cannot write violence, M/M, S4 E01 'Pax Penguina', Singing, Wordcount: 500-1.000, because who doesn't love a nice fluffy fic concerning two homicidal maniacs, fear toxin, out of character? pffft, poor ozzie why can't he just be happy for once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-06 08:44:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12207774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BasilHellward/pseuds/BasilHellward
Summary: Zsasz has always felt somewhat  responsible for Oswald since Falcone sent him to help out with his old club. He'd liked that Oswald was twitchy and wide-eyed in his presence at first. Liked that he was a little scared of him. It was cute. Victor doesn't like how scared Oswald is now, though.





	Hush, Little Birdie

**Author's Note:**

> ~~No idea if this is any good or in character at all but~~ I wanted to write some Zsaszlepot after S4 E1 and I'm always a slut for some emotional hurt/comfort. I'm surprised no one beat me to this, like I know it's a rare pair, but jeez.  
>  Unbeta'd, any mistakes are my own, please point them out so I can fix them! Enjoy :)

Victor is on high alert the second the lights go down, gun already cocked in his hand, all he needs now is an excuse to aim it at somebody. He doesn't have to wait long. Watching, waiting amidst the chaos, his eyes fall on one of the bank robbers as he makes a dash for the exit. Zsasz looks down the sights and lines up to take the shot, but between the poor lighting and the horde of civilians also flocking to the door, he misses his opportunity. He scowls, unfamiliar with failing to hit his target, but he can't dwell on it for long. 

The ringleader of the robbers has the fear toxin canister in his hands and he's advancing toward Penguin. Zsasz aims for the guy's heart, his finger on the trigger, sure he can pull it before another robber can blow his brains out. He's wrong. A shot rings out dangerously close to his ear and Victor ducks just in time as Tabitha disarms and K.O.s the culprit. Oswald grunts as he wipes the toxin from his face. When he opens his eyes, he blinks a few times before staring, terrified, at the block of ice in the center of the room. He wails like a lunatic at whatever he sees, tripping over backwards in his attempt to get away from it.

Sensing movement to his left, Victor turns in time to pull the hammer on his pistol as Alfred cocks his shotgun and Oswald's screaming continues.

"Hey!" Gordon shouts before punching the ringleader. "You're under arrest by order of the Gotham City Police Department," he says. Bullock is standing by with handcuffs at the ready.

Zsasz and Alfred take their respective guns off one another and Zsasz gives him a little nod to say _we're cool._ Oswald clings to Jim as he struggles to his feet. "Help me," he pleads, throwing himself into Gordon's arms. "Don't let him get me!"

Jim pulls a face, awkwardly embracing Oswald as the press snap photographs for a front page headline. A headline that will undoubtedly leave Oswald open to ridicule, but what's new there?

Stepping forward, Zsasz holsters his gun and places a hand on Oswald's shoulder. "Come on, boss, let's get you home," he says, not sure if Oswald is even lucid enough to hear it. Jim wrenches Oswald off himself, sending Victor a look of gratitude over his head. Zsasz has always felt somewhat responsible for Oswald since Falcone sent him to help out with his old club. He'd liked that Oswald was twitchy and wide-eyed in his presence at first. Liked that he was a little scared of him. It was cute. Victor doesn't like how scared Oswald is now, though, mumbling to himself as Victor says _ciao_ to Jim and turns to leave.

Oswald's arms wrap around Victor like a vice as they walk in tiny steps to the Lounge's exit. He's surprisingly strong for someone so small, someone held together with spit and glue and so easily broken again. Victor can make out what he's mumbling now: _don't let him get me, please don't let him get me,_ over and over. Zsasz can only assume he's talking about Nygma, and he never understood why Oswald let that skinny weirdo hold so much power over him when he's so much better than that. Oswald _deserves_ so much better than that, after all he's been through. 

Victor drapes an arm over Oswald's quaking shoulders and pulls him close, hoping it'll bring him some comfort. Seeing his boss like this always causes a weird, dull ache in Victor's chest and he doesn't like it. "Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you."

 

# —

 

The journey to Oswald's place seems to take hours. Zsasz does his best to keep him calm, but comforting people is definitely _not_ his strong suit. He puts Oswald to bed and he holds onto Victor with that vice-like grip. "Please... d-don't leave me," he begs. "He's coming to get me, you h-have to protect me."

"I'll protect you, boss" he says, ruffling Oswald's sweat-damp hair. "I'm not going anywhere. You're safe, promise."

Victor tries to remember the last time he felt scared, and the first thing he thinks of is having a nightmare when he was a kid. He'd sneaked down the hall to his parents' room, worried they'd be angry with him for getting out of bed but too scared to stay alone in the dark, and his mom had sang to him to soothe him. Okay, so he'll sing to Oswald. Zsasz doesn't know _what_ to sing, so again he goes with the first thing that comes to his mind.

He clears his throat before beginning to softly croon, " _Hush, little birdie, don't say a word, Zsasz is gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, Zsasz is gonna buy you a diamond ring_..."

He forgets some of the words and has to make them up as he goes along, but either the fear toxin is finally wearing off or Victor's voice actually comforts Oswald enough for him to stop shaking. Victor keeps singing until Oswald yawns, understandably worn out, and his eyes fall shut.

Zsasz smiles, fairly pleased with himself, and debates over whether he should stay, but he decides he'd rather not. He'd have to deal with any potential awkwardness and Oswald's inevitable, possibly murderous tantrum over the opening of his Iceberg Lounge not going perfectly to plan. Zsasz doesn't know if he could cheer Oswald up again without recharging first - people and their emotions are exhausting.

He carefully removes himself from Oswald's arms and pats him on the head before tiptoeing to the door. Throwing one last look over his shoulder before he goes, he whispers, "Sweet dreams, Oswald."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! If you have a minute, please leave a comment telling me what you thought, I'd love to know! If you don't have a minute, just leave some kudos ;)


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